Socket contact with resilient inserts



March 20, 1951 P. DE BEAUVAIS 2,546,061

SOCKET CONTACT WITH RESILIENT INSERTS Filed Aug. 24, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVQAIT'QR March 20, 1951 P. DE BEAUVAIS I 2,546,061

SOCKET CONTACT WITH RESILIENT INSERTS Filed Aug. 24, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 20, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SOCKET CONTACT WITH RESILIENT H 1 1 INSERTS n V g Pierre de Beauvais, Paris} France Application August 24, 1948, Serial No. 45,902

InFranceJanuary19,19.1g v I. h: 9 Claims. (Cl. 173-363) 1 The present invention has for its object a socket for an electric contact plug, such as a socket for an electric switch, constructed so as to improve the electric contact established intermittently by means of a plug.

This socket. of which the bore has a diameter greater than that of the plug, has in its bore one or more leaves or elements of semi-circu ar V or other cross section secured at one end of the socket in such a way as to permit the introduction of the plug by elastic deformation of the said leaf or leaves.

According to one form of construct on, the socket has two diametricallv opposed slots extending for a part of its length, whilst the leaves which are two in number comprise a plane part or tail adapted to be engaged in a slot in the socket and a part which has a semi-cvlindrical V or other cross section which is housed in the bore,the end of the taiLwhich nroiects externally, being held against the outer surface of the socket or welded or otherwise secured in any suitable manner to the socket.

A further feature of the invention consists in a particular arran ement of the leaves such that the elast c deformation of the latter, dur ng introduction of the contact plug into the socket, takes place almost over the whole width of the said leaves.

A further feature of the invention consists in that the leaves comprise at the upper end a projecting portion which en ages in the head of the socket. and which is held in place by means of a cap which co ers the head of the socket and the pro ecting portion of the leaves.

The folowing description, read in connection with the annexed drawings, which is given merely by way of example, will enable the manner in which the invention can be carried out, to be understood. the features shown in the drawing and described in the text forming of course part of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view on a larger scale of the socket, showing how one of the leaves is positioned, another leaf being already secured to the socket.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of a socket with elastic leaves taken on the line II-II of Fig. 3.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line IIIIII of Fig. 2.

Figs. 4 and 5 are respectively, a detailed view in elevation and an end view of a leaf, on a smaller scale than that of Fig. 1.

Figs. 6 and '7 are views on a larger scale showing in section how gripping of the plug is effected.

Figs. 8, 9, 10 and 11 show modifications.

Fig. 12 is a section on a larger scale of a further form of construction of the socket.

Figs. 13, 14 and 15 are detail views of Fig. 12.

Fig. 16 is a perspective View of a leaf.

Figs. 17 and 18 are sectional diagrammatic views of a larger scale of the socket, showing the arrangement of the leaves before and-afterinsertion of the contact plug in the socket.

In the form of construction shown in Figs. 1 to 7' the socket comprises: On the one hand a flanged tubular member a of which the bore a has a diameter greater than that of the plug b, and which has a slot 10. in a diametrical plane on part of its length.

On the other hand a pair of elastic leaves (1 which .havea plane or .ta'il portion d which is introduced in the slot c and a curved part d of semi-cylindrical form which is inserted intothe bore a of the socket with a certain amount of play when the plug is in position. 1 .The tail d is of sufiicient radial extent to enable it to project beyond the exterior of the tubular member a in such manner that it can be bent over externally as shown in Fig. 3, whereby the tail d of the leaf engages the outer contour of the member a. In addition the tails d are of a height h, Fig. 4, slightly less than that of part. 12 of the tubular member, as shown in Fig. 2, in which position the tails are held in place by circular flan es or bosses a to prevent any axial displacement.

By referring toFig. 6 it will be seen that when the plug is not inserted in the socket, the semicylindrical, parts 11 of the leaves project'into the bore a of the socket, and that when theplug b is inserted they are spread apart by elastic deformation. Fig. '7, with slight clearance between them and the inner surface of the bore, thus exerting on the plug a strong elastic pressure which ensures positioning of the plug. and enables perfect electrical contact to be maintained.

Instead of being semi-cylindrical, the leaves may be of V section as shown at d in Fig. 8, or of any other section.

It is obvious that the method of securing the end or tail d of each leaf to the tubular member a and the socket can be modified. For example the tail d could be bent and held against the 5 6 named end thereof, providing an axial abutment UNITED STATES PATENTS for Said sleeve' Number Name Date PIERRE DE BEAUVAIS' 2,391,425 Korn Dec, 25, 1945 REFERENCES CITED 5 FOREIGN PATENTS The following references are of record in the Number Country Date file of this patent: 571,838 Great Britain Sept. 11, 1945 699,611 France Feb. 18, 1931 

